4runner question

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L

laxaholic

Joined
May 10, 2011
Messages
164
Location
Evans, GA
I'm still driving my Toyota Land Cruiser 100. I'm in college, and with rent and travel, etc. The fuel expense in my 100 is killing my wallet. I really like the 3rd gen 4runners. Are they as reliable as the famed 4.7l in the 100? I'd like to keep it stock, upgrade the speakers some and just drive it. If I stay with an SUV vs a car, I might as well stick with 4x4. And I really like the back rolldown window, do those come in all of them? What years are best/most reliable in this generation? I have seen some year 2000's that I like. What kind of fuel mileage could I expect from a 3rd gen, stock, 4runner. On the roads here in GA, I don't normally average more than 63-65mph

Thanks in advance for helping with my questions.

Any more suggestions?
 
I have a 2000 Tacoma with the 5VZ-FE, 5 speed manual, 4x4 with auto locking hubs. Fricken great combination in regards to gearing and wheeling. Oh and have 31x10.5's. Loaded down with construction tools, trying to stay at 70 mph on the freeway, I get 16 mpg :( I bought the truck from the original owner, a very good friend of mine, and when he was driving it regularly to Arizona, he experienced 20 mpg, empty bed, doing 70 mph. But then again, at the time it didn't have 260,000 miles on it as it does now!! Still runs like a raped ape! Did a spark plug change at 250,000 " just because", and they all looked great! My friend said they were the original plugs too! So I bought OEM plugs and wires of course!

-Danny
 
That is just fantastic to hear about the 5VZ-FE! My Tacoma and 4Runner have just gone over the 100k mark. I run nothing but Mobile 1 in them. My Tacoma has been pretty heavily modded and thus I am lucky to get 17mpg but my 01 stock 4Runner LTD 4WD gets 21mpg highway and rides like a dream. You won't be sorry buying a 3rd Gen Runner!
 
Also, I wouldn't go over 90,000 miles without doing the timing belt and all associated items. Replacing mine was over my head, so I had the dealer do it. He let me bring in all my own belts, hoses, t- stat and water pump, as long as they were new, and the water pump had to be new not a reman. Purchased the timing belt from them, got out of there for like under 600 after labor. Was worth it to me!

Danny
 
My dad's 98 (that I owned from 55K-100K) now has 255K miles. No major issues...none with the engine.

400 mile roadtrips on freeway, traveling 75-80 MPH it still gets around 19.5 MPG.
 
I'm another fan of the 3rd gen 4runner. I'm just shy of 200k on mine. I've had it since about 100k miles.

On the highway at 65 you should get 20mpg pretty easily. I can get around 22mpg at 70mph. Around town it's only around 17ish. One thing I noticed that hurt my mpg was putting larger heavier tires on. If you stick with street tread P-metric tires stock size, you'll probably get the best mileage.

There are a few problem areas of note:

Rear springs sag over time. I put firestone air bags in mine (they go inside the factory coil springs). I've been really happy with them. And they are cheap: $100 for the kit.

Front brakes. The 4runners are notorious for front brake shimmy. I believe it has to do with the rear brakes going out of adjustment causing overworking of the front brakes. I have done the tundra brake conversion and I would recommend not doing it. I don't think it solves the problem and is more or less a waste of money. Fix your rear brakes and put new rotors and pads up front and you'll be happy.

o2 sensors. The o2 sensors can go bad without throwing a code. Your mpg will drop by about 3-4mpg over time. New o2 sensors are $60ish and will fix the low mpg issue. You can google it for more info.

Of course there's the timing belt that needs to be done every 90k. My last one I did a timing belt, water pump, and replaced all the idler pulley bearings, as well as did a full transmission flush and replaced all the rubber coolant hoses. I think that the 2nd timing belt is a great time to do all of that and know that it's good for another 200k.

The leather seats are cracking and worn out.

Radiators are prone to leak between the transmission fluid and coolant compartments. Google 4runner and pink milkshake. Mine is still working as normal. I've just read that that's been an issue.

There are times I wish I had more power. Mostly on long mountain passes towing my sailboat.

Other than that, my 4runner has been exceptionally reliable. Believe it or not, at 200k miles, it still has the factory u-joints. The only non-routine item I've replaced is the muffler a week ago and it's due for shocks (which will be the first time they've been replaced). And the power antenna doesn't work anymore. Every window still works like new, every lock, every switch, you name it, the thing has been exceptionally reliable.
 
Jetboy said:
I'm another fan of the 3rd gen 4runner. I'm just shy of 200k on mine. I've had it since about 100k miles.

On the highway at 65 you should get 20mpg pretty easily. I can get around 22mpg at 70mph. Around town it's only around 17ish. One thing I noticed that hurt my mpg was putting larger heavier tires on. If you stick with street tread P-metric tires stock size, you'll probably get the best mileage.

There are a few problem areas of note:

Rear springs sag over time. I put firestone air bags in mine (they go inside the factory coil springs). I've been really happy with them. And they are cheap: $100 for the kit.

Front brakes. The 4runners are notorious for front brake shimmy. I believe it has to do with the rear brakes going out of adjustment causing overworking of the front brakes. I have done the tundra brake conversion and I would recommend not doing it. I don't think it solves the problem and is more or less a waste of money. Fix your rear brakes and put new rotors and pads up front and you'll be happy.

o2 sensors. The o2 sensors can go bad without throwing a code. Your mpg will drop by about 3-4mpg over time. New o2 sensors are $60ish and will fix the low mpg issue. You can google it for more info.

Of course there's the timing belt that needs to be done every 90k. My last one I did a timing belt, water pump, and replaced all the idler pulley bearings, as well as did a full transmission flush and replaced all the rubber coolant hoses. I think that the 2nd timing belt is a great time to do all of that and know that it's good for another 200k.

The leather seats are cracking and worn out.

Radiators are prone to leak between the transmission fluid and coolant compartments. Google 4runner and pink milkshake. Mine is still working as normal. I've just read that that's been an issue.

There are times I wish I had more power. Mostly on long mountain passes towing my sailboat.

Other than that, my 4runner has been exceptionally reliable. Believe it or not, at 200k miles, it still has the factory u-joints. The only non-routine item I've replaced is the muffler a week ago and it's due for shocks (which will be the first time they've been replaced). And the power antenna doesn't work anymore. Every window still works like new, every lock, every switch, you name it, the thing has been exceptionally reliable.
Click to expand...

Great to hear your thoughts/experiences with your 3rd Gen 4Runner. I just got mine and it has 168k on it. I had considered doing the Tundra brake swap and also the Tacoma LBJs, but I think I'll stay original and just replace it all with OEM 4Runner parts. As far as I know, still on the original timing belt and water pump, too. It's at the top of my list and I'll probably do this in the next few weeks along with the LBJs, O2 sensor and all fluids. If you have anymore tips, send them this way... I'll need 'em! :cheers:
 
Frey said:
Great to hear your thoughts/experiences with your 3rd Gen 4Runner. I just got mine and it has 168k on it. I had considered doing the Tundra brake swap and also the Tacoma LBJs, but I think I'll stay original and just replace it all with OEM 4Runner parts. As far as I know, still on the original timing belt and water pump, too. It's at the top of my list and I'll probably do this in the next few weeks along with the LBJs, O2 sensor and all fluids. If you have anymore tips, send them this way... I'll need 'em! :cheers:
Click to expand...

For the water pump and timing belt. I found rockauto.com to be a great place for parts. OEM belt is a mitsuboshi - there's a kit from rock auto with that belt for pretty cheap if you're going to do it yourself. It's not hard, just time consuming. Took me about a full 8hrs of work. Only hitch was how to compress the tensioner pulley - you don't need the special tools, a good small size bar clamp can do the trick, but it's not the easiest thing to do.
 
Unless you sell your 100 series for a wonderfully high price and then get a very good deal on a 4Runner, I doubt you will save a ton of money on gas. Run the numbers between a vehicle that gets 14 mpg and one that gets 20 mpg, based on the number of miles you drive per year. Typically, the cheapest vehicle to drive is the one you already own. The 4Runner's ride quality is very primitive compared to your 100 series, IMO, and you will give up the sense of solidness that only a Land Cruiser can deliver.
 
I have an 01 4Runner that I bought from my son. He wanted to sell it but did not want to lose it, so I bought it and it is still in the family. That's the way it goes with 4Runners and your biggest problem will be finding one.

I agree with everything Jetboy said. I have 159K on mine and it runs like a champ.

Try to find one with a center differential that unlocks. You can drive around in 4 wheel on dry pavement if you want to. I love that feature.

... and the rear chrome bumpers rust. Probably trapped salt. My new pieces will be rust proofed before installation. Probably a Cruiserdan item.
 
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